


A New Roommate

by Interstellararia



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - College/University, Homophobia, M/M, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-12
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-20 10:46:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4784501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Interstellararia/pseuds/Interstellararia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cremisius Aclassi is currently showing off his homemade cosplay armor to the general public in the hopes of getting new members for Thedas University's Art Club. However, it doesn't go exactly as he expects when he ends up meeting a rather handsome stranger who seems to have taken more of an interest in him than the Club.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A bead of sweat trickled down the back of his neck. He resisted the urge to make a disgusted noise, especially at the passerby in front of the table. Dalish looked up at him from where she was sitting.  
  
“A bit warm there?” The elf held back a soft chuckle at her personal shade.  
  
Today was probably one of the worst days to hold the Club Gathering. The temperature was in the mid 80’s and of course it didn’t help that Cremisius Aclassi, a proud member of the campus Art Club, was standing in the sun in full cosplay armor.  
  
He brushed off what Dalish said. “Nah, I’m alright. Just a bit sweaty, but I’m alright.” He didn’t exactly want to say that at this very moment he wanted to strip down and run into the nearby fountain.  
  
“Well it’s no good if you pass out on us. You’ve gotta show off that stuff for the next four hours.” Krem turned to find Citlali, another Art Club member who had been busy running back and forth from this table to the Student Farm table across the yard. The blonde elf had a glass of water in his hand, which he handed to Krem.  
  
“Thanks.” He gratefully accepted the water and drank it quickly.  
  
“I should have said you need to seduce people with that armor for the next four hours but I kind of missed my opportunity there, huh.” Citlali shook his head, green eyes sparkling mischievously. Krem let out a snort at his friend’s antics.  
  
“Your friend there isn’t lying about the seduction part.” A new voice entered the conversation. The two turned to see a tall and slim young man with fabulously done hair and a neatly curling mustache. He was dressed in mostly black with bits of gold jewelry adorning his body. Krem could feel a bit of heat rising to his cheeks. The man was indeed handsome. A junior guessing by his stature and appearance. He smirked, as if knowing his remark caught the other off guard.  
  
“Oh, yes! Please do join Art Club! We can teach you so many things. There’s no prior experience in the arts necessary!” Dalish grinned at the table’s visitor before casually gesturing to the sign up list. “We’ll be doing workshops on plenty of different things like wood burning, glass etching, crayon art, and of course craft foam armor.” She waved a hand to the sweating, but still standing at attention, soldier behind her. Krem gave a nervous wave in response.  
  
“I’m afraid I’m not much of an artist.” The man chuckled nervously before Dalish stood and grabbed a hold of his shoulders.  
  
“Like I said, ‘no prior experience necessary’. We’ll teach you all you need to know!” The elf grinned as he smiled softly.  
  
“Well I’ll have to check it out then.” Of course he just had to send a wink in Krem and Citlali’s direction. Citlali didn’t seem to handle the flirtation as well as the other and ended up clearing his throat before muttering something about being needed at the other table. The visitor signed his name on the sign up paper with a flourish before capping the pen. _A fancy but rather illegible signature_ , Krem noted.  
  
“Oh yeah, feel free to draw something on the table.” Dalish hummed. Not like, actually draw on the table, but draw on pieces of paper they taped to the table not a half hour earlier. It was already covered in a large number of doodles, including many from Ahdik. Ahdik had probably done at least 4 laps of the club gathering and stopped to doodle every single time. Krem did a quick search of the area, spying Ahdik’s towering form make his way through the crowd, deep brown hair and skin shining with sweat. By the time he looked back to the visitor, he was gone. A pang of disappointment filled Krem’s chest. However, the little drawing on the table caught his eye. It was a rather decent attempt at a drawing of him. It was pretty scribbly with a curly script next to it saying “Cool dude!!” and an arrow pointing to it. Krem noted that he ought to take a picture of that and save it for later.  
-  
It was about two hours into the club gathering when something else eventful happened (besides one of Citlali’s friends drawing the tiniest of dicks on the edge of the paper. Thankfully Dalish could easily cover that up with her hands). Krem was zoning out a bit, the heat still getting to him even though he’d been brought several more glasses of water. At this point, he probably had to pee as well, but he had to stay for another two hours.  
  
“Cremisius?” A calm voice brought him back to reality.  
  
“Yeah?” He looked at the woman standing before the table. She was tall and graceful, with dark skin that would rival Ahdik’s.  
  
“I’m Vivienne. I’m with Residential Life. May I speak to you in private for but a moment, my dear?”  
  
“Oh… uh, sure.” He went to jog around the tables so he could talk to Vivienne.  
  
“Ooooooo, Krem’s in troubleeeeeee!” Dalish teased lightly as he left.  
  
“What’s this about?”  
  
“My apologies, I don’t want you to think you’re in trouble because of that email I sent you.”  
  
“Wait, what?” Krem frankly hadn’t checked his email since breakfast this morning since he had classes all day. He made a reach for his phone but remembered it was impossible to have pocket access with this costume on.  
  
“I sent you an email regarding the fact that we need to discuss something of an urgent matter regarding your situation. I’m available for us to meet sometime tomorrow if you’re able to.” Vivienne gave him a soft smile.  
  
“Uh, alright.” Krem was kind of confused as to what exactly she was talking about, but then it clicked. He remembered sending an email to ResLife earlier in the week regarding a name change in the system so he didn’t have to stare at his birth name every time he pulled out his ID card. Well, at least that’s what he hoped it was about.  
  
“Wonderful. I’ll leave you to get back to work.” And with that, Vivienne left. Krem jogged back to the Art Club table awaiting more Oooooo’s from Dalish, but they never came.  
“What was that about?” The elf tilted her head.  
  
“Uh, just a personal matter.”  
  
“Okay.” She looked like she was going to say more but she dismissed it.  
  
Little did Krem know, the talk with Vivienne tomorrow would lead to a greater adventure than he imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now begins the start of an adventure! I don't know about you but I'm always a sucker for College AU's. Shout out to my sister Sara for being my awesome editor for this chapter :D I'll have more up soon!


	2. Chapter 2

Krem groaned as he stripped of his armor. Thankfully by the end of the day, it had cooled down slightly. He was downright exhausted. The young man managed to get most of his gear off, left in his binder and pants. A low teasing whistle came from Dalish as she walked in the dorm room.

Their shared room was a pretty decent size, at least for two people to live in. An assortment of desks, bookshelves and dressers lined the walls with the beds bunked in the corner. Krem threw his things on the floor before turning to his roommate.

“I think that went well, don’t you?” He fanned himself with a hand.

“Yes definitely! We’ll have to get you a fan to go under that costume though.” Dalish chuckled, patting his shoulder, but pulled away at the gross feeling of sweat under her touch. “I’ll take care of an introductory email. You, sir, need to take a shower.”

“Yes ma’am!” Krem playfully saluted before walking over to the closet to gather shower things. Boy would he be grateful to feel cool water splashing against his skin.

-  
Krem was busy scrubbing his head dry with a plush towel. After doing that, he slipped a baggy shirt over his head and pulled on plaid patterned boxers. He gathered his things before heading out to the bedroom, finding Dalish absorbed in a new episode of a Let’s Play.

“I thought you were going to be sending out that email?” Krem scolded gently. Dalish turned to look at him.

“Already sent it out.” She muttered before attempting to shove some sort of small candy in her mouth. “And don’t worry, I haven’t watched the next part of Jack’s playthrough. I’m just trying to catch up because I think I fell asleep when we were watching it the other day.”

“Alright.” Krem put his things away before hopping up onto the bed to mess around on his phone for a while.

-  
Dalish and Krem spent the evening watching the fourth part of Jackspeticeye’s playthrough of Until Dawn. Both jumped when a creature popped out, Krem letting out a short yelp. He hid his face in embarrassment as Dalish cackled at him.

-  
Krem flopped in his bed, rather exhausted from the entire day. He had felt himself slowly drifting off when they were watching the playthrough, and he needed to get some sleep before his busy day tomorrow.  
-  
Regret. Yup, that was the sound of regret echoing in his head. After accidentally staying up way too late and having to get up early, it definitely wasn’t a good day. He’d nearly dozed off while staring at his art project and just so happened to be working on it at the same time. Krem blinked lazily into his coffee cup. He wasn’t overly fond of the stuff but forced himself to drink it anyways to stay awake. Perhaps a nap after his meeting today would be a good idea.He was startled out of his dazed thoughts after he heard a thunk of a plate against the table.

“What’s up Kremepuff?” Iron Bull took the seat across from him. Although he stood at around 7 feet tall with a massive set of horns, Bull was actually a kindhearted man. He squinted his lone eye at Krem. “Rough night?”

“Dalish and I watched a playthrough of Until Dawn… in the dark… not a good idea.” Krem rubbed his eyes and yawned.

Bull chuckled and began to stuff his lunch in his face. “Did you eat anything?”

“I had some soup… and fries I think.. to be quite honest I really don’t remember what I ate.” Krem shook his head and sighed.

“Well at least you did eat something.” Bull kept eating, poking his friend awake when he was threatening to doze off. “You have that meeting today, right?”

“Yeah..” Krem yawned, then downed the rest of his coffee. “I don’t think I’ll be able to stay awake for it though… this is some really bad coffee.”

Bull furrowed his brows. “Which pot did you grab it from?”

“The one on the left I think.”  
“Well either the school needs to get stronger coffee or you’re just immune to caffeine.” Bull chugged down his drink then stood. Having finished his meal, he slung his bookbag over his shoulder, grabbed his empty dishes and helped Krem stand. The shorter of the two protested quietly, as if he’d much rather sit there and nap instead of going to a meeting.  
-  
Bull managed to drag Krem down to the ResLife office without a problem.

“Do you need me to go in with you?” The Qunari blinked at his companion.

“No.. I think I’ll be alright. But if you could wait here for me that would be great.” Krem eyed the office door nervously.

“Sure thing Kremepuff.” He promptly sat himself down in one of the seats outside of the office and waited.

-  
It was a bit chillier than he expected inside the office. Thankfully it woke him up a bit. Vivienne walked out of one of the side doors.

“Oh, hello my dear. Please do come into my office.” Krem did as instructed and sat in a rather plush chair he was directed to. “It has come to my attention that you are a transgender student?”

“Yes ma’am.” He stood up a little straighter now that the subject of the conversation had been established.

“I know it’s of a personal matter, but may I ask what all you’re going to be doing for your transition?” Vivienne had gracefully taken a seat across from him and observed quietly.

“Well… uh..” Truth be told, he didn’t think about it a whole lot. “The whole shebang I suppose.” He also supposed that _shebang_ was a silly word but oh well, it got his point across. At least she seemed amused by it.

“I also need to ask about your housing assignment. Are you fine with living in the women’s hall or would you like to be moved to the men’s?”  
“Um..” As much as he liked living with Dalish, he’d probably feel more comfortable, or more uncomfortable in the men’s hall. He really couldn’t determine which. A nervousness fluttered in his belly.  
“We have an opening in one of the men’s halls. Sadly it’s in a different building, but it’s still an opening nonetheless. You would be rooming with a young man by the name of Dorian Pavus. He’s a junior, but you two should get along just fine.” Vivienne smiled softly at him. “Also there is still the matter of having your name changed in the system. We can get you a new ID card with your correct name on it if you still have some time today.”

“You can do that?” Well duh. Of course they could do that. It was just the fact that they were willing to do so suprised him.

“Yes my dear. Shall we go do that?”

“Sure!”

-  
Bull had followed the two down a flight of stairs to the tech department. They gleefully changed his name in the system and provided him with a new ID card. Of course they had to take a new picture, and Krem looked tired beyond belief but he was so happy to have this happen. He was finally going to have Cremisius instead of his birth name on the card. Iron Bull chuckled softly as he watched his friend pace impatiently as the ID printed off.

“Here you go sir!” The tech department employee handed him the card. Krem stared at it for a few minutes with a smile slowly stretching across his face. Joyful tears pricked at his eyes.

“Thank you so much!” His voice cracked when he spoke, but no matter. The ID was changed. “Chief, look at this!” Krem practically jumped over to the Qunari, shaking with excitement. Bull scooped up the smaller in a bone-crushing hug.

“I’m proud of you Krem.”

“Thanks Bull.” Krem returned the tight hug as best he could before he was set down. Vivienne handed a key over to Krem.

“I’ve already notified Dorian that you’ll be moving in this weekend. Here’s the key to your new room. Have a good day, my dear. Please do let me know if there’s any problems.”

Krem was grinning from ear to ear. “Come on Bull! I need to show the Chargers!” The Qunari laughed as he ran after the overly excited human.  
-  
It was finally Saturday. Krem could finally move into his new room! He had been packing since the visit to the ResLife office (with some amount of protest from Dalish since he was leaving boxes everywhere). The young man trotted across the campus on his last run between the two dorms. He carried a medium sized box in his arms. It was filled assorted bathroom supplies that he’d rather go without but he couldn’t. He got to the proper building and headed up to the second floor. Going down the hall, he turned to room 243 and unlocked the door. He silently thanked Dorian for having been out and about all day so he could unpack some things without a question being asked. Krem clicked on the _Blurryface_ album on his phone and aggressive ukulele filled the room. He casually danced about as he put things away. Straightening out his plants on the bookcase with a little hop, he whirled around and strummed an invisible ukulele of his own.

Unpacking didn’t take very long so Krem thought he might as well make his bed. The room’s setup was much like his old one, so it already felt a bit like home. He scrambled up onto the top bunk and began folding the sheets over the mattress corners.

“Nice.”

He heard a voice mutter behind him. It caught him by surprise, and the bedsheet corner he was struggling with slipped from his fingers, snapping back onto his legs. Krem turned, slightly flustered because he had his ass sticking in the air not moments before. _Wow. Way to make a first impression._ He mentally slapped himself as he gazed upon whom he could only assume was his roommate. Said roommate was the fashionably clad young man from the club gathering. His eyes twinkled like the gold jewelry adorning his body.

“My name’s Dorian Pavus. You’re Cremisius? They didn’t tell me I’d be getting a roommate this soon.” _And a handsome one at that._ Dorian somehow managed to bite down the flirtation, although he had no clue how he managed such a thing.

“Oh.. Yeah.. I… uh… have some unique circumstances I’d rather not talk about right now.” There goes a little flutter of anxiety. He shouldn’t have said anything about that.

“Alright. Do you need help unpacking?” Dorian asked as he slipped off his shoes by the door.  
“Nah, I got everything unpacked while you were out. The only thing left I have to do is set up the Xbox if you’ll let me.” Krem gestured over to the TV sitting on one of the dressers.

“Sure thing.” His roommate smiled softly. He seemed nice enough. Maybe switching to a new hall wasn’t such a bad idea at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Move in complete! Shenanigans are sure to be included in future chapters. Parts of this fic are actually inspired from my college experiences :D Thanks again to Sara for being the editor! Enjoy!


	3. Meeting the Gay Wardens

Krem and Dorian didn’t really talk much that first weekend they were together. Dorian hid in his cave of the bottom bunk with a small light spell to read by. Of course, the mage put up a protest when Krem mentioned he could just turn on the lights because it ruined the authenticity of the situation. Whatever that meant. He was probably reading some dusty old history book from the library that no one had bothered to touch since the school was founded. Krem let out a bleary sigh from staring at the television. He’d been playing Minecraft in the dark for far too long. The only thing he managed to do in survival mode is somehow manage to get a pet Enderman before a bunch of zombies broke in. Curse them and their disrespect for unfinished architecture. He shook his head before glancing at his phone. According to that, it was nearly 1:30 in the morning.  
“Oh shit!” Krem had to get up at 8 am and not having enough sleep never ended well for him. He frantically saved his game and shut off the system before dashing about, gathering his stuff for sleep. Dorian seemed to pay no mind to his cursing as the little ball of light still glimmered gently.  
He managed to get ready for bed within minutes and went to say a goodnight to Dorian. However, the mage was fast asleep. He was snoring softly under the musty old book that was propped open on his face. Krem snorted in amusement and took the book off. He marked the mage’s place before putting it away. Turning back, he found himself staring. Dorian’s face was illuminated gently by the spell, and it made him seem almost… _angelic_. Krem could feel a slight blush fall upon his cheeks. Irritated at himself, he waved a hand through the ball of light, easily dispersing it. He grumbled as he got into bed. _Get a hold of yourself Cremisius._

-  
Thankfully, he and Dorian had different times to wake up for classes. Krem could easily get ready in the mornings without a word to his roommate. It would probably be a while before he figured out the whole Transgender thing.

Krem couldn’t have been more wrong.

-  
After a rather exhausting day, Krem wheezed dramatically and climbed into his bunk. His legs dangled over the edge, and his arms were spread above his head. If only he had magical powers to pass out every time he laid down (sleep is sacred to college students, you know. Also brownies… and macaroni and cheese but that’s beside the point). He didn’t bother to lift his head when he heard the door open and close.

“Hey.”

“Hello Cremisius.”

Krem snorted at that before propping himself up on his elbows, shoulder popping in protest. “I told you… call me Krem.”

“Oh… right… yes. My apologies Krem.” Dorian’s gaze seemed out of focus and the usually over confident man seemed… _nervous_. He placed his bag down and fiddled with the hem of his robes, not meeting the other’s gaze. “I… I need to ask a favor. O-of you.”

“Sure, what do you need?” Krem had sat up, curious as to what he had to say.

“Would you be willing to come with me to a meeting tonight? I… I just don’t want to go there by myself.”

“Yeah, I’ll go with you. What kind of meeting is it?”

“One of those club meetings.” Dorian finally met his gaze. The mage seemed relieved.

“Ah. Just let me know when we need to head out for that.”

“Uh… the meeting is in 10 minutes… My apologies for not saying anything sooner. ”

“Don't worry.” Krem scrambled down and shoved his shoes back on. Grabbing his keys and his roommate by the arm, he headed out, declaring, “Come on! Let’s go.”

-  
They stood in front of the building where the club was supposed to be meeting. Understandably, Dorian was nervously staring at the door. Krem also felt a slight flutter in his own chest. 

“Hey, what’s the matter?”

“I… uh…” The mage remained mute. He glances at the sidewalk for a moment before letting out a breath.

“Come on, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m right here if you need me.” Krem gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulders with a smile. Dorian returns the gesture and starts to head into the small building with his roommate by his side.  


-

Well the building was more of a small house that the college bought for some of the clubs to meet in. It’s a quaint, one story house with a huge living room and a kitchen in the back. Krem and Dorian walked in to be greeted by a large crowd with a chorus of cheerful greetings. A tall, lanky elf trotted forwards to the center of the room.

“Hello there and welcome to the Gay Wardens!” He bowed fashionably before continuing. Well, he paused for a moment to pull back his long, red hair into a bun so it would be out of the way. “There we go. Anyways, my name’s Theron Mahariel. I’m the president around here.” Theron’s deep brown eyes scanned the newcomers and sent a wink their way. “Feel free to sit around and mingle with the others." He pauses, furrowing his brows and giving the air a quick sniff. "Wait, oh fuck! Sorry I’ll be right back.” He dashed off in the direction of the kitchen.

Krem exchanged a glance with Dorian. “Shall we mingle?” The mage nodded nervously. Various elves, humans, dwarves and qunari were perched in various places, whether it be on the couches or the floor. Technically one qunari was being used as a couch since he had two other club members perched in his lap. Citlali rushed up to Krem and Dorian as the two tried to determine where to sit. 

“Fucking finally! I thought I’d never see you down here!” Citlali beamed at the two, ushering them to sit by him and some of his pals. "Krem, Dorian, this is Isaac," He gestures to a young man with a wild red and blonde mane sitting on the floor, "and this is Levi." He gestures to another with brown hair and teal eyes perched on a couch cushion. He pauses to introduce the pair of newcomers to Levi via sign language. Levi grins and declares a "nice to meet you" with his hands. The young man proudly reaches up to shake their hands. He proceeds to sign and waits for Citlali to translate. "He's willing to teach you a few things if you want." 

"That would be cool!" Dorian nods and sits next to Levi, while Krem and Citlali take seats between the mage and Isaac. Over the next few minutes, they're able to learn the alphabet as well as sign their own names. 

“Okay everyone! Sorry for the delay. There was an… unexpected mishap in the kitchen.” Theron narrowed his eyes when he glanced back. "Apparently I can't bake worth a shit. Thank the Creators the alarm didn't go off. 

“Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it.” A much shorter elf came up to his side and pouted. He tucked hair behind his ear before placing a kiss on Theron’s cheek. The other elf blushed in response and cleared his throat.

“Okay! We might as well go around and introduce ourselves to the group since it is the first meeting.” Theron clapped his hands eagerly. The intermingling group spread out into a circle in the wide living room. Krem scoots back to he's sitting between Citlali and Dorian. “Let's go around and say your name, grade, preferred pronouns and a fun fact about you. ” Theron’s ears happily flicked upwards. “I guess I’ll go first to get things rolling. I’m Theron Mahariel, masculine pronouns please, and I'm a junior.” He paused. “Oh wait! Fun fact yeah… uh… I’m actually a good cook with things that aren’t baked goods.”

That received a chuckle from around the room. Krem watches Citlali as he quickly translates for Levi. Introductions continued around, bouncing to each member of the club. The qunari who was being used as a couch by his two girlfriends was Nikolai. Krem's gaze follows each person as they introduce themselves while he recites his own in his head. As the introductions got closer to his end of the room, he couldn't help but be anxious. However, he forced himself to focus as Levi introduced himself with a flurry of signs. Citlali provided the translation of; "Levi Hawke, masculine or gender neutral pronouns, sophomore and I'm getting a dog next week."

"Hey everyone! I'm Citlali Tabris, masculine pronouns please. I'm a sophomore and I make my own chainmail for cosplays." The blonde's ears flicked up proudly as he puffed out his chest a little. "You should see me and Krem here in action. We're the lean, mean cosplaying machine." He gently elbows his friend in the ribs. 

Krem laughs softly as warmth spreads across his cheeks. "You're the one who can't work the sewing machine to save your life." He pauses to clear his throat and offer a wave to the gathered crowd. "I'm Cremisius Aclassi, masculine pronouns please. Call me Krem. I'm a sophmore and... uh..." _Shoot! Think!_ "I sew plushies sometimes. Most of the time it's nugs with wings." A slight tightness in his chest remains, but that's only because of the binder. His anxiety has dissipated for the most part.

"Were you the guy at the art club table at the festival?" One club member asks.

"Yes I was." 

"Oh! Your costume was simply wonderful!" They smile at him.

"Thanks."

The thud of the front door tells everyone that someone new has entered the scene. It's none other than Michael Cousland, overall douche to everybody and the only reason he's still enrolled is because his dead parents left huge funds to the school. The room is filled with silence as he strides towards the center and tries to take a seat next to Nikolai, who scoots his girlfriends away from Michael even though one is on the kickboxing team and the other is a champion fencer. Michael sits with his chin held high, acting as if all in the room should obey him. 

"Ser Cousland. I thought I told you not to come back here." Theron's face scrunches up in irritation as he crosses his arms. Tension runs high as the silence echoes in the small house. Krem frowns. Michael looks familiar. 

_Oh._

Michael Cousland was one of the guys that harassed him at his first and only frat party. That was the night he'd met Bull the first time. He's honestly surprised that the guy is still able to walk after taking a beating from the qunari. Krem's stomach sinks. He reaches over to Dorian with a shaking hand and sets it on the mage's knee. His hand gets scooped up into Dorian's and is held tight. It provides him some comfort as Theron talks to Michael.

"You can't tell me what to do. I go where I please." Michael's steel blue gaze meets Theron's, but the elf refuses to back down.

"Like hell. This is a safe space and you violate that. Everywhere you walk, you downgrade people to try and make yourself superior, but you're just an asshole."

"I'm allowed to be here." 

"I understand that you're gay, but it's unacceptable for you to disrespect the others in this group. Your transphobic attitude will not be tolerated in here." 

Michael rolls his eyes. "Trans people are just doing it for attention. They're not real." 

Isaac stands suddenly, having taken offense. He points as his other hand is balled into a fist, knuckles turning pale. "All the trans men in here are twice the man you will ever be." He snarls as his body shakes slightly in anger. 

Krem's gaze flickers to Citlali, who's still translating the grim situation to Levi. He turns to Dorian. The mage's brows are furrowed, and his hand still holds tight to Krem's, though lightning sparks slightly around them. It tickles a little. 

Theron strides to the middle of the room. "I don't care if you think you own everyone in this room and think you're the best because your parents left money to the college, I will tell the Dean about your irresponsible behaviors. Now, leave before I have you removed." 

Michael scoffs but stands and makes his way out the door. A collective sigh of relief fills the room. Krem lets go of Dorian's hand and puts it back into his own lap. 

Theron shakes his head. "Sorry about that. Let's get back to our meeting.

-

Besides the issue with Michael, the meeting went pretty well. The group discussed the events for the Pride week coming up as well as ideas for Pride Prom. It all sounds pretty fun, and Krem is eager to wear a suit for the dance.

Dorian and Krem exit the building after some post meeting banter and head back to their dorm.

"May I ask you something?" Dorian bites his lip.

"Sure, go ahead." 

"Did you know that guy? Did he hurt you?" The concern in Dorian's voice makes Krem stop in his tracks. 

"I've met him before. I could've been hurt badly or even killed had Bull not stepped in. I'm sorry if the hand holding thing was a bit weird. I panicked. I didn't know if he'd come after me again like he did before." Krem's gaze falters.

"Don't worry." Dorian's smile is gentle. "Come on, let's get back to the room." 

"Did you still want to go to the Gay Wardens meetings?" 

"Only if you'll come with. I find I'm a lot more comfortable with a friend by my side."

That makes Krem smile. "I'd be happy to." The duo continue to walk to their dorm. "Would you want to go to the drag show during Pride week?"

"Definitely. To be honest, I'd participate if I had enough courage." He scratches the back of his head. "Also I can't dance worth anything." 

Krem laughs softly and pats his roommate on the back. "I can try and teach you a thing or two, but all I know is Ballroom stuff." 

"Might be helpful for the dance."

"Yeah." Krem gazes up at the sky for a moment before looking at Dorian again.

"Can I tell you something? It's important." 

"Sure."

"I'm transgender. I should've probably told you sooner, but I didn't know how you'd react." 

Dorian's eyebrows raise. "You bind your chest, yes?" 

"Yeah."

"Okay. As of this moment, I declare our room a binder free zone, meaning you need to take that thing off as soon as you get back. I will not have you running around with broken ribs." 

"Got it _mother_." 

Dorian snorts in amusement. "I'm just offering some friendly concern." He gives the shorter man a pat on the shoulder. "You need anything, I'll be glad to help you out."

"Thanks. It means a lot." 

"You're really brave, and I admire that. Now let's get back before we both start with a sappy embrace out of the movies." 

Krem falls in stride with Dorian. "Can we go up to the store tomorrow? I think we're running out of toilet paper." 

"Sure. Does after your morning class work?" 

"As long as we pick up snacks." 

Both young men continue their friendly banter back to their room. Even a while after Krem settled down to sleep, he couldn't help the happy flutter that settled in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops silly me I forgot to add some notes. A good lot of the extra background characters are going to be my friends and I's Dragon Age oc's. Making an appearance in this chapter are Theron Mahariel, Nikolai Adaar, Citlali Tabris, Isaac Hawke, Levi Hawke and Michael Cousland. Thanks again to my sister Sara for editing!
> 
> EDIT 6/10/2016: Decided to rewrite a part of the Gay Wardens meeting since it's super OOC on Krem's part and it's been bothering me :/ Toned it down a little as well so it's not a huge mess  
> Also sorry for the tense change halfway through oops  
> Chapter 5 is halfway finished! It might take a little longer since I'm on Con Crunch for the next couple of weeks.


	4. Shopping Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the hectic events from yesterday, Krem and Dorian take a relaxing walk in the grocery store to pick up a few things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking 3 Ages to get another chapter up (haha). College was a bit of a mess and I didn't have a whole lot of time (or inspiration to work on this again). I'm planning on writing a lot more of this over this summer. :D (also i don't know why my notes from the first chapter are still stuck at the bottom and i don't know how to fix it)

“Are you sure we need _that much_ juice?” 

“Absolutely! The both of us need to stay hydrated, don’t we?” Dorian glances back at his roommate while eagerly striding ahead to examine the assorted boxes of tea. His brow furrows as he picks up a box of chamomile. The two had become a lot more comfortable with each other after the incident yesterday. 

“Not to this extreme.” Krem points at each bottle and box, counting up the grand total of 24 containers. He leans on the shopping cart. “Why did you even grab some of this?”

“I’ll have you know, Sunny D is delicious.” Dorian points a finger at him, not looking up from the box he was examining. The other sighs and moves to rearrange the items in the cart so there would be more room. Hopefully it would be for snacks, but with his luck it would be more drinks. 

“We’ve gotta head over to the food section next once you’re done with that.”

“Oh, hungry, are we?” 

“You know how I am when I play video games.” Krem sticks his tongue out at the other. 

“I know, I know. Nearly lost my hand trying to get to those cheese puffs.” Dorian grins as he looks up. “Same thing happened with the popcorn.” 

“I’ll have you know, that was during a movie. I can’t help it if I’m a nervous eater.”

-

After having replaced some of the juice bottles with bags of snacks, the two headed over to the toiletries isle. Toilet paper was desperately needed. They made small talk as each young man grabbed things they needed. 

“Krem, do you need any of those, uh, period products?” Dorian’s hushed voice sounds unsure on what to call it, and he leans close so no one else hears. 

“I don’t need any this time around. I’ll let you know if I do.” Krem smiles softly at him, feeling his cheeks warm up slightly at his proximity. “Thanks, I really appreciate you asking.” 

Dorian returns the smile and pulls Krem into a quick side hug. “Come on, let’s go get the other stuff we need. Do you have any good soap?” 

“Just some off brand stuff. Doesn’t exactly smell the best.” The young man pouts as he watches his roommate consider something. 

“Come on, let’s sniff some stuff.” Dorian leads the both of them to the middle of the isle where the men’s soaps sit. “Ok. Axe is gonna make you smell like you’re coming out of an eighth grade locker room, so definitely stay away from that.” He scans the selection. “Old Spice is _definitely_ the good stuff.” His brows furrow as he looks at each scent. Grabbing a bottle, he hands it off to Krem. “What do you think of this one?” 

Krem’s gaze flickers from Dorian back down to the label. “Lionpride? Sounds like something that one guy Cullen uses.” He pops open the top to take a sniff. Not exactly what he was expecting. 

“Don’t like it?” 

“Not really.” Krem hands the bottle back to his roommate after closing the cap, who replaces it on the shelf and hands him another one. He opens and sniffs it without looking at the label. Making a sour face, he closes the cap and looks at the label. “Bearglove? Definitely something the Iron Bull would use, just for the name.” 

“Well, what would you use?”

“I don’t know. I’ve only sniffed two.” 

“Is that sass I’m hearing from you, Mister Aclassi?” Dorian receives a splutter from the other. 

“Maybe.” Krem’s gaze flickers up to his companion’s for a moment before he looks at the selection. He picks up one labeled _Timber_ and takes a whiff, putting down the bottle of Bearglove. “Huh. What do you think of this one?” Dorian’s eyebrows raise as the bottle is offered up for a sniff. He sniffs it and smiles. 

“If you like it, you should get it.” 

“That’s not what I asked.” 

“Well, I think it’s really nice and it suits you.” Dorian pats his friend’s shoulder. 

“I’ll get it then.” 

“Probably should grab the whole set. You grabbed the shower gel so you’re also going to need shampoo, deodorant, body spray if you want it.” Dorian scans the shelf to find the items he mentions. He grabs them puts them in the cart. "I’ve got a fantastic razor back in our room that you are free to use any time you wish and-“ 

“Dorian.” 

“What?” 

“I’m not on T yet. I don’t have anything to shave.” 

“You’ve got to practice. I will gladly be your teacher in the art of shaving.” Dorian winks at Krem, grabbing a can of shaving cream and tossing it in the cart. "Is that all we need?" 

"I think so." Krem starts to make his way to the checkout counter with his companion at his side. "Thanks for helping me out there." 

"Anything for a friend." 

-

After the two finished purchasing their goods, the woman at the checkout counter gives them a huge grin. 

"You gentlemen have a lovely day." 

The excited flutter in Krem's chest stays there for the rest of the day. 


	5. Cloudy Skies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another normal day as a college student ends with something a little unexpected.

It’s a week after Krem and Dorian’s shopping trip, and things are going quite well. Besides tripping over a juice bottle while having the need to use the bathroom last night, Krem feels like he’s walking on air. In general he’s just a happy camper. He hoped this feeling would last more than the rest of this week, but who knows what would happen.  


Krem sits down in the sculpture lab of the art building fiddling with his next project. Wire is not his strong suit. It twists and bends but never the way he wants it to. He’s more used to clay or using a sewing needle.  


“Why this?” He frowns at his work and shoves it away. It shouldn’t be that hard to replicate a banana out of wire but boy, he was wrong about that. _Alright, alright. Step away from the banana. It’s making you frustrated._ Of course, he does just that. He should probably go get something to eat anyways. The young man grabs his phone off the table and sends a message out to the group chat.  


_Kremepuff [5:25pm]: Headed over to the dining hall if anyone would like to join._  


Krem works on cleaning up his mess and shoving the rest into his backpack. His phone buzzes as he slings his backpack over one shoulder.  


_Magic Man [5:27pm]: I’ll be over there in a moment!!_  


A smile crosses his face as he exits the sculpture lab and makes his way over to the stairs.  


_Citlali [5:27pm]: Can’t come, sold my soul to the devil. He says he can’t give me back until the end of days :(_  
_Magic Man [5:28]: Dug yourself into a hole with your next art project?_  
_Citlali [5:28]: Maybe… ono_  


Krem shakes his head.  


_Kremepuff [5:29]: I’ll meet you upstairs. Anyone heard from the rest of the squad?_  
_Grand Theft Otter [5:29]: oh man oh man woke up just in time lmao_  
_Grand Theft Otter [5:29]: i’m gonna be there in a few_  
_Grand Theft Otter [5:29]: just let me find my pants idk where they went_  
_Kremepuff [5:30]: Yeah, pants are nice._  


So that’s Dorian, Citlali and Dalish ready for dinner. Was Bull down at the gym again? That reminds the young man that he hasn’t been there since he moved in with Dorian. Oops. Krem wanders up the flight of stairs which leads to the other art studio spaces. The only reason you can tell the space is occupied is if you can hear music echoing in the hallway. He hums along to the current song playing and takes a left into the painting lab. Citlali _always_ blasts musical material, and when a classmate introduced him to _Hamilton_ last week, that’s all he’s been playing. Krem trots over to the elf, who’s secluded himself in the back corner, and he is absorbed in his work to the point where he doesn’t notice the other’s approach.  


“Man, the man is non-stop!” Krem hollers along with the song. Citlali lets out an odd sounding shriek as he jumps and whirls around. Turns out he was trying to send a text to the group.  


“Sweet Maker! Don’t do that!”  


Krem’s phone buzzes after a moment.  


_Citlali [5:32]: lmao looks like I’m in a crime scehrjhajkenr kjef kjewb a_  


“What’s a ‘crime scehr-‘” Krem gets cut off by a playful punch to the shoulder. “Dude, did you murder your paint tubes or something?” The elf is splattered in an array of hues across his clothes, and a splash of blue sits on his freckled cheeks.  


“I get a little aggressive while I paint, sue me.” At least he’s wearing a smock, right? Citlali taps the pause button on the music with his elbow before wandering over to the sink.  


_Kremepuff [5:33]: Anyone heard from Chief?_  
_Grand Theft Otter [5:33]: found my pants! You guys should hurry up, Skinner and I are starving!!!_  
_Kremepuff [5:34]: we’ll be there in a few. Citlali has to clean up his paint slaughter. You guys can eat without us, you know._  
_Krem stares at Citlali’s painting for a few moments._  
_Grand Theft Otter [5:34]: it’s no fun unless we’ve got everyone here >:0_  
_Chief [5:34]: shit, phone died and had to go back to my room. I’ll be over in a few._  


Citlali seems to have gotten most of the paint off, save for the splatters still stuck to his face. At least it kind of blends in with his freckles. He yanks the smock over his head, throws it to the ground and scoops up his backpack.  
“Come on! Let’s go.”  


Krem and his friends usually meet for dinner every night in the college cafeteria. There’s a bigger table off in the corner that they tend to use since they’ve got a bigger group, though it varies some nights if people can or can’t go. Thankfully, Dalish and Skinner had set down their coats to claim the big table. The elven duo weren’t at the table though.  


Citlali and Krem set down their backpacks and head out to the main floor of the cafeteria to take a look at what they’re serving today. A long line at the middle food station definitely meant some good food.  


“I bet you a sovereign that it’s tater tots.”  


“I’ll say mac and cheese and take you up on that.” Krem smirks at his friend as the do move closer to the front of the line to see the menu.  


Citlali wins the bet.  


-

Dalish had been the first one to arrive back at the big table after retrieving food. She gives an excited wave to Krem with noodles half hanging out of her mouth. She quickly works on swallowing them as he approaches.  


“Dude, have you been hiding in a hole all day? You look exhausted.” She sniffs and wipes at her lip with a thumb.  


“Basement of the art building.” Krem pulls out the chair across from her and promptly sits down after setting plates of food on the table. “Oh, we need to actually sit and discuss what we’re doing for next week’s art club meeting.”  


“Mmph!” Dalish has another group of noodles half stuffed into her face. She points to Citlali, who currently hovers impatiently at the salad bar for toppings. She then points to an empty chair.  


“Ah, gotcha.” Wait for him to get back, then discuss. Krem’s about to take a bite of food when Dorian strides up, hair looking tousled.  


“Sorry I’m late, got caught talking with a professor about a possible research collaboration. Dreadfully windy out there too.” Dorian makes an attempt to fix his black locks by running a hand through it, but that doesn’t do much.  


“No problem. Did you see Bull out there?”  


“I don’t think so… honestly I was so focused on trying to get over here I probably missed him.” Dorian slides his leather shoulder bag over his head and sets it next to his usual chair. “Anything good today?”  


“An assortment of noodles for our fanatics.” Krem gestures over to Dalish, who grins before taking another bite.  


“Sounds delicious. Do they have the thicker ones with the broth?”  


“Not this time around.”  


“Hm. Well, I must be off on a quest to find food.” Dorian laughs softly, giving Krem’s shoulder a pat before wandering away. Iron Bull arrives not moments later with a grunt.  


“Hey Chief.” More probably would’ve been said had Krem not started to trip over his tongue while trying to say some teasing thing about “pillowy man bosoms”. “Where have you been?”  


“Accidentally fell asleep.” The qunari stretches, making him seem bigger than he already is. He still looks rather tired as he heads over to the food lines. Citlali comes back, armed to the teeth with plates of food. He arranges them carefully on the table before sitting.  


“Now can we discuss things?” Krem glances at Dalish with a raised eyebrow.  


“Yeah, yeah.” She takes a huge swig of her juice. “I don’t think we had a demonstration planned.”  


“Nah, plus we did a free choice project last week.” Krem finally starts poking at his food.  


“I could do a watercolor demo.” Citlali notes after wiping his hand on his shirt.  


“Could you do that technique with the salt?” Krem places a napkin on the elf’s head. “Also use a napkin, it’s what they’re there for.”  


“Yes dad.”  


“Ooh, yes please!” Dalish bounces in her seat as Skinner and Dorian arrive at the table. Skinner presses a kiss to Dalish’s cheek before focusing on eating. Dorian perches in the chair next to Krem, stealing a tater tot from his plate. Krem gasps in mock offense.  


“How dare.” He watches Dorian give him a smug grin. Bull’s the last one to arrive at the table, still looking asleep on his feet. “Chief, you can go back to bed, you know.”  


“And miss out on food? I don’t think so.” The qunari promptly starts scarfing down his tator tots.  


-  


Krem and Dorian walk side by side on the journey back to the dorm.  


“Any plans for this evening?” Dorian adjusts his bag strap with a ring decorated hand.  


“Ehhh, not really. Why?”  


“I was planning on avoiding homework for a few hours by watching a movie. Care to join me?”  


“As long as it’s not a sappy, overdramatic, heterosexual romance movie, I’m down for it.” Krem walks with a little bounce in his step as his gaze is trained on Dorian. However, he doesn’t notice a crack in the pavement and trips. He’s quickly able to regain his balance and walks a little too stiffly out of embarrassment.  


“Are you alright?” Dorian’s brows are raised in concern.  


“Probably.” Krem laughs it off, but he can still feel his cheeks burning.  


-  


The movie that they’d watched made them want to get a few hours of their life back.  


“Who recommended that one to you?”  


“I just found it at the library and thought it was interesting.” Dorian protests while frowning. He considers the disk case in his hands, then drops it onto his desk. “It’s very misleading.”  


“Got that one right.” Krem rubs his eyes before going to sit at his own desk to try and work in Photoshop for a bit. His very curious roommate watches him for a moment.  


“Working on another project?”  


“Ehhh…” No ideas are coming to him. The blank, white canvas stares menacingly at Krem. “I really don’t know.”  


“Hmm…” Dorian taps a finger to his lips in thought. “What if you photoshopped someone onto something?”  


“I suppose I could do that.” Krem yawns and shakes his head. Why is he so tired? It’s probably because he had too much going on today.  


“Though _I_ suppose you should get to bed.” The mage pats Krem’s shoulder and cuts him off before he could protest. “You can work more tomorrow.”  


“Alright.” Krem shuts off his laptop and gets ready for bed as Dorian goes to the bookshelf for some reading material. After a change into pajamas and clean teeth, he says goodnight to his roommate and crawls into bed.  


-  


He wakes up a few hours later to the desperate need to pee. On his way over to the bathroom shared with the neighbors, his toe smacks into something on the floor. The weird sloshing noise that follows tells him it’s the same container of juice he stubbed his foot on last night. He grumbles and scoots it out of the way and gets to the bathroom. After taking care of business and washing his hands, he heads back to bed. Krem takes a moment to squint at the clock perched on one of the bookshelves. It’s only 11:30 but the lights are out. Dorian’s usually pouring over manuscripts until at least midnight every night. That’s a bit weird. Of course, having Dorian’s nightly schedule memorized for the most part was also a tad strange, but it wasn’t all that hard to remember.  


“Dorian?” Krem sleepily rubs at his eyes. No response. He peeks into the bottom bunk to discover a very empty bed and a missing mage. Now, he really shouldn’t be worried since Dorian can take care of himself, but it is the middle of the week and he’s got class in the morning. Krem fishes his phone from its spot between the bed frame and the mattress and opens up his messages. He blinks, eyes watering a little from how bright the screen is.  


_Kremepuff [11:31]: Hey, where are you? Novel got too boring?_  


Krem pops a squat on the floor and decides to screw around on his phone for a bit while waiting for a response.  


_Magic Man [11:33]: No, the novel I’m reading at the moment is perfectly fine, thank you very much._  
_Magic Man [11:33]: I just had to go outside to think for a bit._  
_Magic Man [11:33]: I’m at the nature center at the moment, just off of the main trail._  
_Magic Man [11:34]: it’s a nice spot but a nug keeps trying to climb up on the bench with me_  
_Magic Man [11:34]: actually, I feel a bit silly since I forgot my jacket_  
_Kremepuff [11:35]: Are you cold?_  
_Magic Man [11:35]: yes :(_  
_Kremepuff [11:35]: is the nug cold too? I can make the lil guy a jacket_  
_Magic Man [11:36]: Krem_  
_Magic Man [11:36]: can you just get down here please?_  
_Kremepuff [11:36] Alright, I’m on my way_  


Krem stands and heads over to his dresser. Pants are important, esp/i>ecially when you don’t want anyone to see you making a beeline to the nature center in boxers and a tank top. He locates pants, puts them on and puts on his boots. Dorian didn’t say specifics on which jacket, so Krem just grabs the one perched on the back of the mage’s desk chair. He attempts to shove his phone in his pocket, but he just so happened to grab the one pair of pants without them. He curses under his breath, puts Dorian’s jacket on and slides his phone in the pocket. Dorian wouldn’t mind if he borrowed it for a quick second, would he? With that thought, Krem grabs his keys and heads out the door.  


-  


The nature center is practically all the way across campus, so Krem sets a pace of a light jog. He cranks it up to a run and gets to the center within a few minutes. Some students joked that it was a nug play place since so many hung around the tiny building in the middle of the woods. There’s probably a nest or something somewhere.  


Krem heads down the path behind the small building. The path’s a bit easier to navigate during the day, and it’s not helping that clouds are covering both moons. The young man grumbles and pulls out his phone. Turning on the flashlight, he continues on his way. Reaching the first part of the path that diverges, Krem scrunches his nose.  


“Dorian? You down here?”  


“Yeah.”  


Krem trots down the fork in the path. After walking a little ways, he sees a small clearing with a bench. Dorian’s sitting there with an arm reaching towards the other side of the bench.  


“Hey.”  


The mage’s head turns. Kohl is smudged under his eyes, and he looks awfully tired. A weak smile tugs at his lips. “Hi.”  


“What are you doing out here at this time of night?” Krem walks around to the front of the bench to find Dorian scratching a nug between its ears.  


“Needed to think.” The mage watches the little creature as it squeaks happily. His brows furrow slightly. Was it confusion or anger? “Is that my jacket?”  


“Oh, uh, yeah.” Krem quickly unzips it and starts to take it off. Once Dorian sees the tank top underneath, he objects.  


“Keep it on. You’re going to get cold faster than me.”  


Hopefully, the other can’t see the blush across his cheeks. He readjusts the coat before motioning to the bench. “Can I sit down, or does your friend not want to move?”  


“Hold on.” Dorian moves to scoop up the little creature, but it decides to hop into his lap with a squeak. It snuggles down, poking its nose into the young man’s belly. “Why didn’t you do that earlier?”  


Krem laughs softly as he sits, replacing the nug’s old spot. His smile falls. “Are you alright?”  


“To be honest with you, not entirely.” A sigh escapes his lips as he strokes the nug. “I lost a friend today. Felix has been quite ill for a long time, so everyone knew something would happen eventually.” The nug squeaks softly and presses a paw into Dorian’s belly. “His father was desperately searching for a cure since he was under the belief that Felix’s illness was his fault.”  


Dorian pauses, shaking his head with a gentle laugh. “Honestly, you and Felix would’ve gotten along splendidly. He was studying art history. Hoped to get an internship to study in Halamshiral too.” His lips press into a thin line.  


“Come here.” Krem wraps his arms around the mage’s shoulders, tugging him close. Dorian blinks in surprise at the touch, but he quickly hugs back, burying his head into Krem’s shoulder while holding tight to his back. Krem’s there to comfort his friend, but he can’t help but notice that the other smells of aging books and some cologne he can’t quite figure out what it is. The two hold each other for a while, saying nothing as the night drags on.  


It’s a while before the clouds part briefly to reveal two moons high in the sky. How long had they been out there? Krem yawns, trying to stay awake. “Dorian? Can we go back to the room? I’m starting to fall asleep.”  


“Good idea.” Dorian sits up and stretches, hair slightly askew. “I… thank you. It really means a lot.”  


“No problem. You’re my friend, and I just want to make sure that you’re doing alright.” Krem smiles and gives his friend’s shoulder a pat. He stands with a pop of his knee, waiting for his roommate to follow suit. He watches as Dorian carefully lifts the sleeping nug in his lap, setting it gently down on the bench beside him. The attempt to relocate seems successful, up until the point where the little creature wakes up. It protests and darts back into Dorian’s lap.  


“Oh, come on, little one. We need to go back now.” Dorian tries relocating the nug again, this time after having stood up. The creature hops down from the bench and proceeds to sit on the young man’s shoe.  


“I think it likes you.” Krem laughs softly, trying to cover a smile with his hand.  


“Looks that way, doesn’t it?” Dorian frowns at the little pink creature. “Hm, you don’t suppose they allow pets, do you?”  


“I think some kid down the hall from us has a Fennec.”  


“Really? Huh.”  


Krem watches Dorian pick up the baby and cradle it in his arms. It snuggles down and squeaks in content. “Do you have any idea how to take care of one of these?” He shoves his hands in the pockets in the borrowed jacket.  


“Not a clue. We can do some research in the morning though.” The mage sighs as he walks forward to join his roommate to head back.  


Krem reaches over to brush his fingers against the little one’s ear, and it flicks at his touch. He can’t help but smile a little. “Does this make us dads now?” That comment earns him a small and playful shoulder bump.  


“I suppose it does.” Dorian smiles, making Krem blush slightly. Thankfully the cloud cover returns over the moons, disguising the difference in color to his cheeks. “We’re going to have to decide on a name, and I’m sure this little one doesn’t do well in wintertime, so we’re going to need to do something about that.”  


“I can make little sweaters! Also I can ask Bull to drive us into town tomorrow to pick up some supplies. We’re probably going to have to figure out a walk schedule too.”  


“Hm, good idea.” The mage sighs as both start heading home. “We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow.”  


“Yeah.” Krem feels exhaustion pulling at him as they walk but accidentally brushing against Dorian’s free hand once or twice sends him into a nervous bounce that follows all the way back to the dorm. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slides in* Hello everyone! Sorry for taking a bit to update, summer got a bit crazy with cosplay things and writer's block doesn't help at all. I do have more ideas for future chapters planned out so hopefully I can write a little more soon! Thanks for reading! :D
> 
> EDIT 8/23/16: Sorry about the spacing!! I didn't notice that the whole chapter was just a huge chunk of words, oops. It should be a lot easier to read now! Also the italics are in the correct places.

**Author's Note:**

> And now begins the start of an adventure! I don't know about you but I'm always a sucker for College AU's. Shout out to my sister Sara for being my awesome editor for this chapter :D I'll have more up soon!


End file.
